1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to collapsible structures, and in particular, to collapsible play structures which may be provided in a variety of shapes and sizes. The collapsible structures may be twisted and folded to reduce the overall size of the structures to facilitate convenient storage and use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Two important considerations for all toys or play things targeted for children and adults are convenience and variety. Relating to convenience, a toy must be easily transportable so that the user can move it around the home, or even to other places outside of the home. A toy must also be easily stored since an adult or child is likely to have many other toys or objects that compete for precious storage space in the home. As for variety, a toy must offer enough variety in play so that the child or adult will be able to enjoy it for a long period of time without getting bored.
Larger toys often pose a greater problem with regards to convenience. The larger toys tend to be bulky, which makes it difficult to move them around the home, and sometimes makes it prohibitive to move them outside the house to other locations. Bulky toys also take up much storage space. For these reasons, many executive toys targeted for adults are made in small sizes.
Collapsible play structures have recently become popular with both adults and children. Examples of such structures are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,812 (Norman), U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,794 (Zheng) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,385 (Zheng). These structures may be twisted and folded to reduce the overall size of the structures to facilitate convenient storage and use. As such, these structures are being enjoyed by many people in many different applications.
For example, these structures have been provided in many different shapes and sizes for children""s play inside and outside the house. Smaller versions of these structures have been used as infant nurseries. Even smaller versions of these structures have been used as dollhouses and action figure play houses by toddlers and children.
As another example, these structures have be en made into tents or outdoor structures that can be used by adults and children for camping or other outdoor purposes. These structures have also been popular as beach cabanas.
Even animals can enjoy these structures. Some of these structures have been made into shelters that can be used by pets, both inside and outside the house.
The wide-ranging uses for these collapsible structures can be attributed to the performance, convenience and variety that these structures provide. When fully expanded, these structures are stable and can be used as a true shelter without the fear of collapse. These structures are easily twisted and folded into a compact configuration to allow the user to conveniently store the structure. The light-weight nature of the materials used to make these structures makes it convenient for them to be moved from one location to another. These structures also provide much variety in use and enjoyment. For example, a child can use a structure both indoors and outdoors for different play purposes, and can use the same structure for camping.
However, these collapsible structures have been primarily used to shelter individuals, animals, and objects, and to allow individuals or animals to crawl therethrough. Thus, there is still a need for collapsible structures that provide an increased variety of play and entertainment value, and yet are simple in construction and can be conveniently deployed, collapsed, and stored.
The present invention provides collapsible structures that include arcade-styled games for the fun and entertainment of both adults and children. These collapsible structures can be easily and quickly disassembled, folded and collapsed into a compact configuration. As a result, the collapsible structures according to the present invention are convenient to assemble, to use, to move around, and to disassemble and store, thereby making them ideal for use at home, at the office as an executive toy, and at many other locations.
In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, the collapsible structure according to the present invention has a central panel, a first support panel disengageably connected to the left side of the central panel, and a second support panel disengageably connected to the right side of the central panel. Each of the central panel and support panels includes a foldable frame member having a folded and an unfolded orientation, and a fabric material substantially covering the frame member.
In one embodiment according to the present invention, the bottom surfaces of the central panel and support panels rest on the surface when the structure is in an upright position, with the central panel disposed at right angles to and between the support panels.
In another embodiment according to the present invention, the structure further includes a first base panel and a second base panel. Each of the base panels includes a foldable frame member having a folded and an unfolded orientation, and a fabric material substantially covering the frame member. The top sides of the base panels are hingedly connected to the bottom side of the central panel. The first support panel is disengageably connected to the left side of the first base panel and the right side of the second base panel, and the second support panel is disengageably connected to the right side of the first base panel and the left side of the second base panel. When the structure is in an upright position, the base panels are disposed at an angle with respect to each other, the bottom sides of the base panels are resting on the surface, and the central panel is disposed at right angles to and between the support panels.
The collapsible structures according to the present invention may be provided with one or more entertainment features. For example, a first basket may be connected to the central panel. In addition, a first opening may be provided in the central panel, with a first tube coupling the first basket and the first opening. A second basket may be connected to the central panel opposite to the first basket, and a second opening provided in the central panel and spaced apart from the first opening, with a second tube coupling the second basket and the second opening. Another feature may include a flotation device coupled to the base panels.
In yet another embodiment according to the present invention, the structure includes a first collection panel having a foldable frame member having a folded and an unfolded orientation, and with a fabric material substantially covering the frame member. An inner side of the first collection panel is hingedly connected to the bottom side of the central panel and the top sides of the base panels. In addition, the first support panel is disengageably connected to the left side of the first collection panel, and the second support panel is disengageably connected to the right side of the first collection panel.
In a further embodiment according to the present invention, the structure has a central panel, a base panel having a front side hingedly connected to a bottom side of the central panel, a first support panel coupled to the left side of the central panel and the left side of the base panel, and a second support panel coupled to the right side of the central panel and the right side of the base panel. Each of the central panel, the base panel and the support panels includes a foldable frame member having a folded and an unfolded orientation, and a fabric material substantially covering the frame member.
The structures in accordance with the present invention may be collapsed and stored by folding the base panels (where applicable), the collection panel(s) (where applicable), and the central panel on top of each other about the hinged connection to have the base panels and central panel overlaying each other, and then twisting and folding the base panels, collection panel(s) and central panel to form a plurality of concentric rings and layers of panels to substantially reduce the size of the panels in the folded orientation. The support panels may be stacked on top of the folded panels and twisted and collapsed together, or the support panels may be twisted and collapsed separately.